Nuclear Safeguards

Nuclear Safeguards are measures to verify that States comply with their international obligations not to use nuclear materials (plutonium, uranium and thorium) for nuclear explosives purposes. Global recognition of the need for such verification is reflected in the requirements of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) for the application of safeguards by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Also, the Treaty Establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (the Euratom Treaty) includes requirements for the application of safeguards by the European Commission. Organizations such as the IAEA and EURATOM and others are tasked with ensuring declared amounts of material are indeed present in the facilities in which they are stored and that such material is not being diverted to other uses.